INDUSTRY NEWS

2018 BOX OFFICE SOARING TO RECORD $11.9B: Revenue is up nearly 3% globally, fuelled in part by a 7% rise in North America. Global box office revenue for 2018 is expected to hit an all-time high of $41.7 billion, with $11.9 billion of that coming from North America. Top earners include Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther, both from Disney/Marvel, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom from Universal.

PATTI STANGER HEADED OUT ON THE ROAD: Millionaire MatchmakerPatti Stanger is going on her first live tour, Page Six reports. The show is being described as a format that will have Stanger "counseling a live audience, and helping singles and couples improve their love lives." The tour, centered on the East Coast, is set to kick off in February. If anyone proposes as the show, they will be given an engagement ring from her Je T’aime line of jewelry.

KENNEDY CENTER HONORS SLIPS TO DEMO LOW: CBS’ annual broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors improved slightly in viewership over last year’s all-time low, but adults in the key demo (18-49) tuned in less than ever before. The two-hour special drew 6.58 million viewers on Wednesday, a 7% bump over 2017, but it’s ratings among 18-49-year-olds was a dismal 0.6, down a tenth of a percent over 2017.

ANGELINA JOLIE TO EXEC PRODUCE BBC SHOW FOR KIDS: Angelina Jolie has signed on to executive produce a kids’ current affairs show for the BBC. Dubbed Our World, the show will promote global media literacy and will initially be rolled out as a 10-episode run of half-hour episodes in 2019. The series will be aimed at kids 7-12 years old and will be initially produced in English, with the goal of expanding internationally.